7.9
Practice Policy Development
A major piece of work commenced in 2009 was the review of the Berry Street policy
framework which provides a framework for the structure and parameters of all our
policies and procedures. This review is proceeding in parallel with ongoing work to
review and update individual policies and related procedures.
The following practice policies and procedures were developed in 2009:
Heritage Archives Access Policy
Revision of Practice Guidelines related to recordkeeping (to ensure consistency with
the Client Records Procedure document)
Privacy Policy (and two related procedures):
o Procedure to access client information
o Procedure to access non-client information
Client Records policies and procedures as follows:
o Client Records Procedure
o Transport and relocation of client files
o Transport and relocation of non-client related files
o Records retention and disposal policy
Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
D. LOOKING TO 2010
It will be an interesting year, with elections at State and Federal levels. Traditionally, it is
very difficult to get attention on, and commitment to, the needs of our clients. However, both
are opportunities which, in collaboration with others, we need to pursue.
We can expect more demand for our services. The 2009 Australian Institute of Health and
Welfare (AIHW) report on „Child Protection Australia – 2008-09‟ has just been released and the
number of children being notified, substantiated and requiring Out of Home Care continues to
rise.
Because of the interdependence of the service system, if pressures on Child Protection
continue to grow (as we expect), there will be more pressures on our staff.
The decision about what is „good enough‟ quality is both an ethical and practical one and these
debates are likely to increase both within Berry Street and in the wider sector.
At our Board/EMT Retreat in May, we discussed a number of other challenges:
How we create the space for innovation and change;
How we manage increasing community expectations and the increased emphasis on risk
management;
How we help the community to better understand our business and the level of risk we
carry on behalf of the community;
The fact that the family is a very contested space;
Our role in encouraging debate about what‟s happening to childhood and the possibility of
new alliances; and
Where we best invest our energy.
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